Winston addresses reports of progress toward new drug policies

On Wednesday night, PFT reported (and several others thereafter did, too) that the NFL and NFLPA had made considerable progress toward crafting comprehensive new drug policies, including hGH testing. One source told PFT that a deal was “very close.”

Commissioner Roger Goodell has addressed the situation, as has executive V.P. of football operations Troy Vincent. The NFLPA has now issued a statement from president Eric Winston regarding the reports.

“Players who have been to any collective bargaining negotiation understand that we never describe them as ‘very close,'” Winston said. “We look at every issue we can to improve the rights and benefits of players. This process takes time, it takes creativity and it is never easy.

”We want to get a new agreement in place but we understand the responsibility we have to the players and to the game. It is critical that we get this right.”

It’s unclear whether an agreement will be finalized in the near future. One source told PFT last night that, if a deal isn’t done by the weekend, the NFLPA may decide to wait until after the season.

Ultimately, the question is whether each side is willing to make striking a deal a priority — and whether each side is willing to give and take in order to get things done.

I don’t know what they problem is. I mean you have more and more people getting angry that the deal isn’t done because the players keep stalling on it.

Don’t we have 2 big name players right now that are missing the first 4 games and a year because of infractions that wouldn’t be infractions under the agreement that they NFL has offered the players?

The reality is that the players think that they have leverage when in reality they don’t. Not having that testing is only hurting the players. More and more are getting suspended because of rule infractions, when if they weren’t cheating they wouldn’t have the problem. And if they aren’t cheating what do they care about getting tested?